“Health from Food” Series | Does Excessive Eating of MSG and Chicken Stock Cause Cancer?

When it comes to commonly used seasonings at home, most people think of salt, sugar, vinegar, etc. But when it comes to MSG and chicken stock, have you ever wondered: Do too much MSG and chicken stock cause cancer? Is this rumor groundless? Next, let's find out with curiosity.

What ingredients do MSG and chicken stock consist of?

MSG, the chemical composition is monosodium glutamate. It is generally made by extracting and refining rice, corn, wheat, sweet potato and other food crops after microbial fermentation. Chicken essence is made of MSG, edible salt, chicken or chicken bone powder, concentrated extract, disodium ribonucleotide and other auxiliary materials as raw materials, selectively adding flavor enhancers, mixing and drying. Although the ingredients of chicken essence are complex, its main ingredient is still MSG, so the taste and safety of the ingredients are similar. Many authoritative organizations in the world have conducted various toxicological tests on MSG. So far, no evidence has been found that MSG has any harm to the human body within the normal use range.

Under what circumstances will MSG and chicken stock be harmful to the human body?

Since MSG and chicken stock are safe in terms of ingredients, why are there rumors that MSG and chicken stock can cause cancer? Apart from the repeated hype of "MSG is harmful to health" by bad media and businesses, the rumors of "feeling uncomfortable after consuming the two" mostly come from their unreasonable use. The taste of MSG depends on the balance between it and salt, the influence of pH, temperature and its own concentration. Excessive consumption of MSG will hinder the balance of amino acids in the body and even cause allergies. The sodium glutamate in MSG will combine with zinc in the blood when metabolized by the human body, leading to zinc deficiency in the body. Therefore, the elderly, breastfeeding women and infants should try to eat less or no MSG. Hypertensive patients who consume too much MSG will have higher blood pressure. The same is true for patients with diseases such as nephritis and edema. In addition, the nucleotides contained in chicken stock can be metabolized into uric acid, so gout patients should be careful when eating it.

Which is safer, MSG or chicken stock?

From the previous introduction, we can know that the ingredients of both are normal and healthy, and the taste is similar. But why is the rumor that "eating too much MSG causes cancer" so loud? One reason is that consumers are misled by market propaganda, and chicken essence is obviously more attractive to consumers in terms of publicity. On the other hand, it is because the MSG industry did not take effective measures to deal with rumors in a timely manner. The negative impact it has brought to the company is huge. However, in terms of process technology, the standardized production of MSG has strict national and industry standards and has a high technological content. Although chicken essence has some additional ingredients, its production is still in a state of disorder. Its process, equipment, product ingredients and quality standards are in urgent need of improvement. In summary, the conclusion that "chicken essence is healthier than MSG" is definitely wrong. As consumers, when purchasing MSG or chicken essence, we should focus more on quality issues such as shelf life and not buy three-no products.

It can be seen that the proper consumption of MSG and chicken powder does not cause cancer. Scientifically using a small amount of MSG and chicken powder for seasoning can also make the dishes taste delicious and have a more unique flavor. We should also learn more about food safety and not blindly follow others. We should judge and distinguish more rationally.

Author: Liu Jiayi and Lei Zhiyuan from Luoyang Normal University

Review expert: Ren Yongqiang, professor/chief physician of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology